The present invention relates to therapeutic stockings.
Therapeutic stockings which exert a compressive pressure against a patient's leg are known, and the problem of the definition of an appropriate compression stocking for the management of the venous system in the lower extremities has been a topic of discussion for many years. Various types of stockings and compression profiles have been used, but it has been unclear what the appropriate compression profile should be to deal with the enormous spectrum of venous disorders found in the ambulatory patient.
In the early experimental work of Sigel, Edelstein, Savitch, Hasty, and Felix (Arch. Surg., Vol. 110, February, 1975, pp 171-175), the appropriate pressure gradient was defined to optimally compress the lower extremity to produce the greatest increase in femoral vein flow velocity consistant with safety and practicality of hospital use of elastic stockings. However, this definition was directed to the prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis during inactive recumbency. The definition of appropriate compression profiles for the management of venous difficulties in the lower extremities of ambulatory individuals is a totally different problem.